The search for mates and food is mediated by volatile chemicals. Insects sense food odorants and sex pheromones through odorant receptors (ORs) and pheromone receptors (PRs), which are expressed in olfactory sensory neurons. Investigating the receptive range of these receptors instructs the identification of behaviourally relevant chemicals. Studying orthologous receptors and their ligands across taxa affords insights into the role of chemical communication in reproductive isolation and phylogenetic divergence. The female sex pheromone of green budworm moth Hedya nubiferana (Lepidoptera, Totricidae) is a blend of two unsaturated acetates, only a blend of both elicits male attraction. Females also produce codlemone, which is the sex pheromone of another tortricid, codling moth Cydia pomonella. Codlemone also attracts green budworm moth males. Concomitantly, green budworm and codling moth males are attracted to the food plant volatile pear ester. A congruent behavioural response to the same pheromone and plant volatile in two tortricid species suggests co-occurrence of dedicated odorant receptors. In codling moth, one PR is tuned to both compounds, the sex pheromone codlemone and the plant volatile pear ester. Our phylogenetic analysis finds that green budworm moth expresses an orthologous PR gene. Shared ancestry, and high levels of amino acid identity and sequence similarity, in codling and green budworm moth PRs offers an explanation for parallel attraction of both species to the same compounds. A conserved olfactory channel for a sex pheromone and host plant volatile substantiates the alliance of social and habitat signals in insect chemical communication. Field attraction assays confirm that in silico investigations of odorant receptors afford powerful predictions for an efficient identification of behaviour-modifying semiochemicals, for an improved understanding of the mechanisms of host plant attraction in insect herbivores and for the further development of sustainable insect control.

The capacity of some yeasts to extract energy from single sugars, generating CO2 and ethanol (=fermentation), even in the presence of oxygen is known as the Crabtree effect. This phenomenon represents an important adaptation as it allowed the utilization of the ecological niche given by modern fruits, an abundant source of food that emerged in the terrestrial environment in the Cretaceous. However, identifying the evolutionary events that triggered fermentative capacity in Crabtree positive species is challenging, as microorganisms do not leave fossil evidence. Thus, key innovations should be inferred based only on traits measured under culture conditions. Here, we reanalyzed data form a common-garden experiment where several proxies of fermentative capacity were recorded in Crabtree positive and negative species, representing yeast’s phylogenetic diversity. In particular, we applied the “lasso-OU” algorithm which detects points of adaptive shifts, provided trait values representing a given performance measure. We tested whether multiple events or a single event explains the actual fermentative capacity of yeasts. According to the lasso-OU procedure, evolutionary changes in the three proxies of fermentative capacity that we considered (i.e., glycerol production, ethanol yield and respiratory quotient) are consistent with a single evolutionary episode (a whole-genomic duplication, WGD), instead of a series of small genomic rearrangements. Thus, the WGD appears as the key event behind the diversification of fermentative yeasts, which by increasing gene dosage and maximized their capacity of energy extraction for exploiting the new ecological niche provided by single sugars.

Abstract Mammals function as ecological engineers. The ecological relevance of mammals, shortage of data and increased human threats make the matter very essential and necessary to evaluate their diversity and current conservation status. Mammals’ diversity and their threats in Faragosa Communal Forest (FCF) areas are poorly surveyed. The study aimed at assessing medium and large-sized mammals of the study area, and their major threats in FCF. Survey of mammals conducted from August to December 2019 in FCF, Gamo zone, Southern Ethiopia. Transect line method using direct and indirect field observations used to collect data on mammals and their threats. A total of 685 individuals were id belonging to twenty-one mammalian species, six orders and thirteen families were observed. Hystrix cristata, Xerus rutilus, Marmota monax, Mellivera capensis, Chlorocebus aethiops, Papio anubis, Colobus guereza, Civettictis civetta, and Lapus hassinicus were among the medium-sized mammals while Tragelaphus imberbis, Redunca redunca, Ourebia ourebi, Sylvicapra grimmia, Phacochoerus aethiopicus, Pontamochoreus larvatus, Hippopothamus amphibus, Orycteropus afer, Crocuta crocuta, Panthera leo, Panthera pardus, and Canis mesomelas were the large mammals of the study area. Papio anubis and Chlorocebus aethiops were the dominant species identified. The abundant order recorded by the number of observations was order Primates (284 individuals) followed by order Artiodactyla (201 individuals) while the least abundant order was Tubulidentata (8 individuals). Among observed 685 mammals, 371 (54.16%) individuals were recorded in dry season while 314 (45.84%) individuals were recorded in wet season and abundance significantly varied between seasons (2 = 40.783; df = 20; < 0.05). The prevailing threatening factors identified were logging of trees for fuelwood and house construction, overgrazing, deforestation, hunting, mining, and invasive alien plants. As the area is rich in mammals and threatened by different factors, urgent conservation action is highly recommended. K E Y W O R D S diversity, Ethiopia, Faragosa forest, mammals, threats

Euterpe edulis (Arecaceae) Mart has high ecological and economic importance providing food resources for more than 58 species of birds and 20 species of mammals, including humans. E. edulis is the second most explored non-timber product from Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Due to overexploitation and destruction of habitats, E. edulis is threatened by extinction. E. edulis populations have large morphological variations, with individuals having green, red or yellow leaf sheath. However, no study has related phenotypic distinctions between populations and their levels of genetic structure. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the diversity and genetic structure of different E. edulis morphotypes. We sampled 250 adult individuals in eight populations with the different morphotypes. Using 14 microsatellite markers, we access genetic diversity through population genetic parameters calculated in the GenAlex program and the diveRsity package in R. We used the Wilcoxon test to verify population bottlenecks and the genetic distance of Nei and Bayesian analysis for genetic clusters. The eight populations showed low allele richness, low heterogeneity observed and high inbreeding values (f). In addition, six of the eight populations experienced genetic bottlenecks, which would partly explain the low genetic diversity in populations. Cluster analysis identified two clusters (K=2), with green morphotype genetically distinguishing from yellow and red morphotypes. Thus, we show, for the first time, a strong genetic structure among E. edulis morphotypes even for geographically close populations.

Decades of research have helped establish the positive relationships between species richness and ecosystem biomass. However, species richness or related taxonomic metrics do not fully capture the functional differences between species, nor are they sufficient to reflect overall stand complexity. Further, the relative importance of structural diversity, functional trait dominance and diversity for stand biomass is still controversial, especially in multispecies stands with differential intra- and interspecific functional and structural patterns. In this study, we used plot level floristic and functional trait data in mixed-species plantations in West Africa, to examine the relationship between multiple diversity metrics and AGB. Multi-model inference and subset regression analyses were performed to identify the most important diversity metrics for AGB. Structural equation models were also used to evaluate both direct and indirect responses of AGB. Overall, 23 species were enumerated in the mixed species stands, plot level values ranging from 1 to 12 species. AGB was in average 15.5 Mg/plot, and varied from 9.3 to 23.1 Mg/plot. The relationship between taxonomic diversity and AGB varied with specific metric. Among taxonomic diversity metrics, only species richness correlated positively with AGB. Neither the single trait-functional diversity nor the functional dominance played a significant role in predicting AGB. In contrast, functional evenness and structural diversity showed positive effects on AGB, and mediated its positive response to species richness. This work reveals that functional evenness showed a significant advantage in predicting and mediating AGB response to species richness, when compared with structural diversity. It also suggests that niche complementarity plays a crucial role in enhancing AGB in mixed plantations, and operates through functional evenness and structural diversity. Maintaining high structural diversity and functional diversity would contribute to preserve biodiversity and enhance stand biomass stock in mixed species plantations.

1. Global warming is rapidly emerging as a universal threat that could alter the distribution of many animal species and change their morphology, physiology, behavior and life history. The heat dissipation limitation (HDL) hypothesis proposes that females’ reproductive performance is limited by their capacity to dissipate heat. Although exposure to wind is known to increase heat exchange, its effect on reproductive performance is unknown. 2. In this study, the effect of simulated wind on the energy budget and milk energy output of female striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) was measured under cool (21°C) and hot (32.5°C) ambient temperatures and the preference of hamsters for windy conditions in lactating females was tested both in the laboratory and the wild. 3. Females lactating at 32.5°C significantly decreased their energy intake and milk output, and raised lighter offspring than those lactating at 21°C. Exposure to wind significantly increased both energy intake during lactation and heat loss at both temperatures. Females lactating at 32.5°C considerably increased their reproductive output when exposed to wind. Moreover, females kept at an ambient temperature of 21°C preferred sheltered conditions whereas those kept at 32.5°C preferred exposure to simulated wind. We captured significantly more lactating female hamsters on windy days in summer and on calm days in spring. Wrapping a glass vessel in the fresh pelt of a striped hamster significantly reduced the rate of both water loss and cooling. 4. These findings support the HDL hypothesis; high ambient temperatures do appear to limit the energy intake and reproductive output of lactating hamsters. Small mammals lactating under hot conditions may be able to utilize the cooling properties of wind to increase their energy intake and milk production, and thereby their reproductive output and fitness.

Competitive interactions between distantly related clades could cause complementary diversity patterns of these clades over large spatial scales. One such example might be ants and birds in the eastern Himalaya; ants are very common at low elevations but almost absent at mid-elevations where the abundance of other arthropods and insectivorous bird diversity peaks. Here, we ask if ants at low elevations could compete with birds for arthropod prey. Specifically, we studied the impact of the Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina), a common aggressive ant at low elevations. Diet analysis using molecular methods demonstrate extensive diet overlap between weaver ants and songbirds at both low and mid-elevations. Trees without weaver ants have greater non-ant arthropod abundance and leaf damage. Experimental removal of weaver ants results in an increase in the abundance of non-ant arthropods. Notably, numbers of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera were most affected by removal experiments and were prominent components of both bird and weaver ant diets. Our results suggest that songbirds and weaver ants might potentially compete with each other for arthropod prey at low elevations, thereby contributing to lower insectivorous bird diversity at low elevations in eastern Himalaya. Competition with ants may shape vertebrate diversity patterns across broad biodiversity gradients.

Plant invasions are major threat to global change, which can be determined through functional, traits of invasive and native species. Therefore, greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to test whether high water availability, nitrogen enrichment and their interaction promote the growth and functional traits of invasive species (Wedelia trilobata, WT), when competing with native species (Wedelia chinensis, WC) in monoculture and mixed culture. While, considering the impact of flooding (F) and nitrogen (N) as an individual factor, plant height of WC was non-significant as compared to WT. However, in combination of flooding × additional nitrogen (F.N, F.2N) physiological parameters of WT were encouragingly higher than those of WC, especially in mixed culture. Variable relative competition intensity at different parameters and higher phenotypic plasticity of WT at different physiological traits make them more dominant than WC at flooding × additional nitrogen (F.N and F.2N). In conclusion, growth of WT increased under combination of nitrogen × flooding, because of higher plasticity and better competition intensity that enhanced its competitiveness, playing an important role for the successful invasion of WT in flooding and nitrogen enrichment conditions.

1. Numerous evidence agree that global changes have altered plant phenology, abiotic factors and functional traits are center drivers linking phenology. However, few studies have considered the joint effects of these factors on flowering phenology under nitrogen (N) inputs and biodiversity loss. 2. A common garden experiment with two N addition and six plant diversity levels was established in Beijing. We assessed the effects of N addition and plant diversity loss on three flowering phenology events of Medicago sativa via functional traits and abiotic factors. 3. The first flowering day (FFD) delayed, the last flowering day (LFD) advanced, and flowering duration (FD) shortened after N addition. While FFD advanced, LFD delayed, and FD extended an average of 0.31, 0.64, and 0.95 days per species lost, respectively. Importantly, three analysis methods had been used to prove that the contributions of functional traits for the variance in flowering phenology changes was significantly larger than abiotic factors under biodiversity loss and N addition. 4. Our findings illustrate the non-negligible effects of functional traits on flowering phenology, and highlight the importance of including functional traits in phenology models to improve predictions of the response of plant phenology to N inputs and biodiversity loss.

Cerasus serrulata (Rosaceae) is an important flowering cherry resource. It is almost the most widely distributed species in the genus, mainly included in the subtropical and temperate China, which enables the geographic evolutionary pattern to be a representative. Besides, the morphological traits are greatly varied especially in ornamental characters. All of these makes Cerrasus serrulata a valuable research object. Thus, phylogeographic analysis was conducted to apprehend the spatial pattern and evolutionary history, which can also add insights into the phylogeography of the genus Cerasus and plants in subtropical and temperate China, as well as to deeper understand the genetic diversity and structure of the germplasm to make better and more effective utilization. A total of 327 individuals of 18 populations were collected. Three cpDNA fragments (matK, trnD-E, trnS-G) and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were utilized. The result showed a high genetic diversity both in species level and population level of Cerrasus serrulata. The high genetic differentiation among populations and the existence of phylogeographic structure in whole were detected. In addition, no bottleneck was identified. The the distribution pattern and center were formed before the LGM. Two geographical lineages were inferred. One was confined to Qingling Mountain and Taihang Mt. The other was from the Wuling Mt to Lu-Huang Mt, and then went northeast to the coast of Asia. Besides, taxonomic treatments of the Cerasus serrulata complex were reconsidered.

Plants employ a diverse set of defense mechanisms to mediate interactions with insects and fungi. These relationships can leave lasting impacts on host plant genome structure such as rapid expansion of gene families through tandem duplication. These genomic signatures provide important clues about the complexities of plant/biotic stress interactions and evolution. We used a pseudo-backcross hybrid family to identify Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) controlling associations between Populus trees and several common Populus diseases and insects. Using whole genome sequences from each parent, we identified candidate genes that may mediate these interactions. Candidates were partially validated using mass spectrometry to identify corresponding QTL for defensive compounds. We detected significant QTL for two interacting fungal pathogens and three insects. The QTL intervals contained candidate genes potentially involved in physical and chemical mechanisms of host-plant resistance and susceptibility. In particular, we identified overlapping QTLs for a phenolic glycoside and Phyllocolpa sawfly abundance. There was also significant enrichment of recent tandem duplications in the genomic intervals of the native parent, but not the exotic parent. Tandem gene duplication may be an important mechanism for rapid response to biotic stressors, enabling trees with long juvenile periods to reach maturity despite many coevolving biotic stressors.

Correlative evidence suggests that high problem-solving and foraging abilities in a mate are associated with direct fitness advantages, so it would benefit females to prefer problem-solving males. Recent work has also shown that females of several bird species who directly observe males prefer those that can solve a novel foraging task over those that cannot. In addition to or instead of direct observation of cognitive skills, many species utilize assessment signals when choosing a mate. Here we test whether females can select a problem-solving male over a non-solving male when presented only with a signal known to be used in mate assessment: song. Using an operant conditioning assay, we compared female zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) preference for the songs of males that could quickly solve a novel foraging task to the songs of males that could not solve the task. Females were never housed with the test subject males whose song they heard, and the only information provided about the males was their song. We found that females elicited more songs of problem-solving males than of non-solvers, indicating that song can contain information about a male’s ability to solve a novel foraging task and that naïve females prefer the songs of problem-solving males.

Phenotypic plasticity can allow animals to adapt their behaviour, such as their mating effort, to their social and sexual environment. However, this relies on the individual receiving accurate and reliable cues of the environmental conditions. This can be achieved via the receipt of multi-component cues, which may provide redundancy and robustness. Male Drosophila melanogaster detect presence of rivals via combinations of any two or more redundant cue components (sound, smell and touch) and respond by extending their subsequent mating duration, which is associated with higher reproductive success. Although alternative combinations of cues of rival presence have previously been found to elicit equivalent increases in mating duration and offspring production, their redundancy in securing success under sperm competition has not previously been tested. Here, we explicitly test this by exposing male D. melanogaster to alternative combinations of rival cues and examining reproductive success in both the presence and absence of sperm competition. The results supported previous findings of redundancy of cues in terms of behavioural responses. However, there was no evidence of reproductive benefits accrued by extending mating duration in response to rivals. The lack of identifiable fitness benefits of longer mating under these conditions, both in the presence and absence of sperm competition, contrasted with some previous results, but could be explained by: 1) damage sustained from aggressive interactions with rivals leading to reduced ability to increase ejaculate investment, 2) presence of features of the social environment, such as male and female mating status, that obscured the fitness benefits of longer mating, 3) decoupling of behavioural investment with fitness benefits.

Mycorrhizal fungi alter their host plant’s resistance to herbivores and their competitive ability. However, most studies on how mycorrhizae alter resistance have been conducted in single plant studies, and so the interacting effects of mycorrhizae and competition on constitutive and induced plant resistance is largely unexplored. We tested whether mycorrhizal colonization with Rhizophagus intraradice would alter herbivore performance and the expression of chemical resistance traits in tomato plants with and without intraspecific competition. We treated the plants with jasmonic acid to measure their induced chemical resistance traits which we evaluated by measuring leaf consumption by Trichoplusia ni caterpillars and two traits that affect herbivore performance: protease inhibitors, an antinutritive protein, and carbon/nitrogen ratio, a metric of plant nutritional quality. Mycorrhizae decreased resistance (increased leaf consumption) to herbivores when the plants were not in competition but had no effect in competition. While mycorrhizae reduced protease inhibitors, independent of competition or treatment with jasmonic acid, this did not increase caterpillar feeding. However, mycorrhizae, competition and induction with jasmonic acid interacted to decrease plant nutrition, measured as C/N ratio, which was correlated with caterpillar feeding. Here, we show that mycorrhizae induced decreases in plant nutritional quality; a novel mechanism by which mycorrhizae affect resistance to herbivores. Mycorrhizae and competition interact to decrease plant nutritional quality and alter resistance to herbivores.

Post-glacial dispersal and colonization processes have shaped community patterns in sub-Arctic regions such as Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Important questions remain about the species that colonized this area, in particular the role of glacial history and biological traits in governing colonization patterns from refugial and southerly geographic regions. This study quantifies sub-Arctic beetle phylogenetic community structure using the net relatedness index (NRI) and nearest taxon index (NTI); calculated using publicly available data from BOLD; compares patterns across families with different traits (habitat, diet) using standard statistical analysis (ANOVA) as well as phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) using a higher-level beetle phylogeny; and compares phylogenetic community structure in Churchill with a region in southern Canada (Guelph, Ontario). The dominant pattern detected in our study was that aquatic families were much better represented in Churchill compared to terrestrial families, when compared against richness sampled from across Canada and Alaska. Individually, most families showed significant phylogenetic clustering in Churchill. Closely related species were likely found together due to the strong environmental filtering present in Arctic environments. There was no significant difference in phylogenetic structure between Churchill and Guelph, although the trend was towards stronger clustering in the North. Similarly, there was no difference in phylogenetic structure metrics calculated for aquatic vs. terrestrial beetle families, again with a trend towards stronger clustering in water beetles. By contrast, there was a significant relationship between traits and community structure. Predators showed significantly stronger clustering in Churchill compared to other feeding modes, perhaps due to phylogenetic conservatism of their overwintering ability or generalist diet of some clades within families. This study contributes to our understanding of the traits and processes structuring insect biodiversity and macroecological trends in the sub-Arctic.

Glyphosate is the world’s most widely used herbicide. The commercial success of this molecule is due to its non-selectivity and its action, which would supposedly target specific biosynthetic pathways found mainly in plants. Multiple studies have however provided evidence for high sensitivity of many non-target species to glyphosate and/or to formulations (glyphosate mixed with surfactants). This herbicide, found at significant levels in aquatic systems through surface runoffs, impacts life history traits and immune parameters of several aquatic invertebrates’ species. Some of these species are vectors of diseases, one of the most important of which is the mosquito. Mosquitoes, from hatching to emergence, are exposed to aquatic chemical contaminants. In this study, we first compared the toxicity of pure glyphosate to the toxicity of glyphosate-based formulations for the main vector of avian malaria in Europe, Culex pipiens mosquito. Then we evaluated, for the first time, how field realistic dose of glyphosate interacts with larval nutritional stress to alter mosquito life history traits and susceptibility to avian malaria parasite infection. Our results show that exposure of larvae to field-realistic doses of glyphosate, pure or in formulation, did not affect larval survival rate, adult size and female fecundity. One of our two experimental blocks showed, however, that exposure to glyphosate decreased development time and reduced mosquito infection probability by malaria parasite. Interestingly the effect on malaria infection was lost when the larvae were also subjected to a nutritional stress, probably due to a lower ingestion of glyphosate.

1. Terrestrial plant populations located at the margins of species’ distributions often display reduced sexual reproduction and an increased reliance on asexual reproduction. One hypothesis to explain this phenomenon is that the decline is associated with environmental effects on the energetic costs to produce reproductive organs. 2. In order to clarify the changing processes of sexual reproduction along an altitudinal gradient, we investigated the sexual reproductive parameters, such as the number of sporophytes and gametangia, in Racomitrium lanuginosum, a dioicous moss found on Mt. Fuji. Matured sporophytes were present only below 3000 m, and the number of sporophytes per shoot tended to be lower at higher altitudes. 3. The numbers of male inflorescences per shoot and antheridia per inflorescence and shoot significantly decreased with increasing altitude. In contrast, the numbers of female inflorescences per shoot and archegonia per inflorescence and shoot varied little across altitudes. 4. Synthesis. Our results suggest that the success of sexual reproduction in R. lanuginosum is restricted at higher altitudes on Mt. Fuji by decreases in male gametangia and the subsequent chance of fertilization. These differences between males and females may be caused by differences in the cost of production and development of gametangia, sensitivity to environmental stresses (low air temperature, shortened growth period, and environmental conditions in winter), and phenological patterns at higher altitudes.

Aim: Threats faced by narrowly distributed endemic plant species in the face of the Earth’s sixth mass extinction and climate change exposure are especially severe for taxa on islands. We investigated the current and projected distribution and range changes of Cochemiea halei, an island endemic cactus. This taxon is of conservation concern, currently listed as vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List and as a species of special concern under Mexican federal law. The goals of this study are to 1). identify the correlations between climate variables and current suitable habitat for C. halei; 2). determine if the species is a serpentine endemic or has a facultative relationship with ultramafic soils; 3). predict range changes of the species based on climate change scenarios. Location: The island archipelago in Bahía Magdalena on the Pacific coast, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Methods: We used temperature and precipitation variables at 30 arcsecond resolution and soil type, employing multiple species distribution modeling methods, to identify important climate and soil conditions driving current habitat suitability. The best model of current suitability is used to predict possible effects of four climate change scenarios based on best case to worst case representative concentration pathways, with projected climate data from two general circulation models, over two time periods. Main conclusions: The occurrence of the species is found to be strongly correlated with ultramafic soils. The most important climate predictor for habitat suitability is annual temperature range. The species is predicted to undergo range contractions from 21% to 53%, depending on the severity and duration of exposure to climate change. The broader implications for a wide range of narrowly adapted, threatened and endemic plant species indicate an urgent need for threat assessment based on habitat suitability and climate change modeling.

1. Wild animal populations typically harbour multiple parasite species, which can interact in various ways depending on the species involved and the state of the host upon infection. While many pairwise parasite interactions and within-guild parasite communities have been characterised, understanding how an interaction network spanning multiple parasite groups might be mediated has been less commonly explored. 2. We aimed to characterise parasites associations across guilds in a wild population of a model species, allowing for comparisons with existing laboratory-based research, and better understanding of how any observed associations might manifest within the host. 3. We used cross-sectional data from an island population of the house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, to identify associations between a broad range of parasite species, including blood-borne microparasites, arthropod ectoparasites, and gastrointestinal and hepatic helminths. 4. Every recorded species was found to exist within a framework of positive and negative associations, involving multiple between-guild associations, and with the under-studied helminth species Calodium hepaticum playing a central role. 5. This study highlights the need to account for as many infections as possible when studying naturally infected populations, due to the prevalence of inter-species associations. Various potential mechanisms, including immunological and ecological, are suggested to explain how these associations might occur. Comparisons with analogous laboratory research from the same species are explored. A need for longitudinal study to determine causality of interactions is highlighted.

Reconstructing ecological niche evolution can provide insight into the biogeography and diversification of evolving lineages. However, comparative phylogenetic methods can infer the history of ecological niche evolution inaccurately because (1) species’ niches are often poorly characterized; and (2) phylogenetic comparative methods rely on niche summary statistics rather than full estimates of species’ environmental tolerances. Here we propose a new framework for coding ecological niches and reconstructing their evolution that explicitly acknowledges and incorporates the uncertainty introduced by incomplete niche characterization. Then, we modify existing ancestral state inference methods to leverage full estimates of environmental tolerances. We provide a worked empirical example of our method, investigating ecological niche evolution in the New World orioles (Aves: Passeriformes: Icterus spp.). Temperature and precipitation tolerances were generally broad and conserved among orioles, with niche reduction and specialization limited to a few terminal branches. Tools for performing these reconstructions are available in a new R package called nichevol.

In this study, we used two common ant species (Lasius niger and L. neoniger) to assay how they translate variation in the diet (both in composition and frequency) into growth. We measured colony development for over 8 months and measured several phenotypic traits of the worker caste, and examined whether forager preference corresponded with diet quality. Individuals (workers) and colonies (superorganisms) increased in size with increasing amounts of protein in the diet, and as a function of how much food was available. Optimal colony growth was a balance between survival and growth, and each of these were maximized with different nutrient regimes. Interestingly, forager preference was not totally aligned with the diet that maximized colony growth. Our results highlight that: 1) organism and superorganism size are controlled by the same nutrients, and this may reflect a common molecular basis for size across life’s organizational levels, 2) there are nutrient trade-offs that are associated with life-history trade-offs, likely leading to selection for a balanced diet, and 3) the connection between the preference of foragers for different nutrients and how nutrient combinations affect colony success and demographics are complex and only beginning to be understood.

Understanding spatiotemporal population trends and their drivers is a key aim in population ecology. We further need to be able to predict how the dynamics and sizes of populations are affected in the long term by changing landscapes and climate. However, predictions of future population trends are sensitive to a range of modelling assumptions. Deadwood-dependent fungi are an excellent system for testing the performance of different predictive models of sessile species as these species have different rarity and spatial population dynamics, the populations are structured at different spatial scales and they utilize distinct substrates. We tested how the projected large scale occupancies of species with differing landscape-scale occupancies are affected over the coming century by different modelling assumptions. We compared projections based on occupancy models against colonization-extinction models, conducting the modelling at alternative spatial scales, and using fine or coarse resolution deadwood data. We also tested effects of key explanatory variables on species occurrence and colonization-extinction dynamics. The hierarchical Bayesian models applied were fitted to an extensive repeated survey of deadwood and fungi at 174 patches. We projected higher occurrence probabilities and more positive trends using the occupancy models compared to the colonisation-extinction models, with greater difference for the species with lower occupancy, colonization rate and colonization:extinction ratio than for the species with higher estimates of these statistics. The magnitude of future increase in occupancy depended strongly on the spatial modelling scale and resource resolution. We encourage using colonisation-extinction models over occupancy models, modelling the process at the finest resource-unit resolution that is utilizable by the species, and conducting projections for the same spatial scale and resource resolution at which the model fitting is conducted. Further, the models applied should include key variables driving the metapopulation dynamics, such as the availability of suitable resource units, habitat quality and spatial connectivity.

Vulnerability assessment has become a critical issue and an important approach for regional sustainable development. The Qinghai Province, located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, suffers a severe grassland degradation caused by climate change and human activities. The degradation constrains the development of local animal husbandry and further affects the vulnerability of social system. In this study, based on the vulnerability assessment framework of exposure-sensitivity-adaptability, two index systems were established including ecological and social aspects. The entropy weight method was used to determine the index weight. The dynamic changes of the ecological vulnerability and social vulnerability of Qinghai province were assessed from 1995 to 2015. Results indicated that ecological vulnerability in Qinghai province increased from eastern part to the west, and decreased from northern to southern part, while social vulnerability showed an opposite trend. Key ecologically fragile areas were mainly located in the Qaidam Basin and western Three-River Headwaters Region (TRHR), while key social vulnerability areas were mainly distributed in the Qilian Mountains and eastern Qinghai province. The overall ecological vulnerability showed a decreasing trend through time, but increased in several local areas. Social vulnerability dropped significantly, especially in the eastern part of Qinghai province. The results will help to identify key vulnerable areas of Qinghai province and provide references for the ecological protection and restoration and the formulation of ecosystem management policies.

Sickness behaviour is a taxonomically-widespread coordinated set of behavioural changes that in- creases shelter-seeking while reducing levels of general activity, as well as food (anorexia) and water (adipsia) consumption, when fighting infection by pathogens and disease. The leading hypothesis ex- plaining such sickness-related shifts in behaviour is the energy conservation hypothesis. This hypothe- sis argues that sick (i.e. immune-challenged) animals reduce energetic expenditure in order have more energy to fuel an immune response, which in some vertebrates, also includes producing an energetically- expensive physiological fever. We experimentally tested the hypothesis that an immune-challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) will cause Gryllus firmus field crickets to reduce their activity, increase shelter- use and avoid foods that interfere with an immune response (i.e. fat) while preferring a diet thats fuel an immune response (i.e. protein). We found little evidence of sickness behaviour in Gryllus firmus as immune-challenged individuals did not reduce their activity or increase their shelter-seeking. Neither did we observe changes in feeding or drinking behaviour nor a preference for protein or avoidance of lipids. Males tended to use shelters less than females but no other behaviours differed between the sexes. The lack of sickness behaviour in our study might reflect the fact that invertebrates do not possess energetically-expensive physiological fever as part of their immune response. Therefore, there is little reason to conserve energy via reduced activity or increased shelter use when immune-challenged.